It’s beginning to look like Christmas and bills are on the rise,🤔
Don’t forget to tell all you meet that we have the ultimate prize.😁
It’s beginning to look like Christmas and everyone will soon be skint,🤔
Don’t forget to tell the world how they can make a mint !!
Two minutes worth of thoughts on my way home from the surgery. Don’t forget to comment below and please don’t forget to share!
For many years I have been privileged to present our Eagle School all over the United Kingdom and now, I am bringing the same school with a little more detail in a series of weekly episodes. It’s FREE and there will never be a charge for this encyclopaedic training. If you’re serious about building your future income with our opportunity to get episode one and subsequent weekly video episodes all you need to do is register, just click here.
Having registered you will receive an email containing links to Episode 1 and Episode 2. You will then receive an email every seven days with the next episode link. I hope you will enjoy being part of Eagle School!
To your success!
Clive Leach
Empathy doesn’t involve feeling sorry for someone. It is our honest answer to the question, “why did they do what they did?”
The useful answer is rarely, “because they’re stupid.” Or even, “because they’re evil.” In fact, most of the time, people with similar information, similar beliefs and similar apparent choices will choose similar actions. So if you want to know why someone does what they do, start with what they know, what they believe and where they came from.
Dismissing actions we don’t admire merely because we don’t care enough to have empathy is rarely going to help us make the change we seek. It doesn’t help us understand, and it creates a gulf that drives us apart.
However, this is a great time to be reflective and to become a planner. So, if I may, I would like to suggest the following:
My Dear Beloved Reader,
Diana and I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas, and Santa has been kind to you, and you are replete after lashings of food and perhaps the odd modest tipple. Now, I’m hoping that I’ve caught you at that reflective time that lies between Christmas and The New Year. You’re either still at home enjoying a break or perhaps you have returned to work, but it’s a little slow as so many other businesses /clients are still on holiday. However, this is a great time to be reflective and to become a planner. So, if I may, I would like to suggest the following:
1). Let’s look back at the last twelve months and see how things have progressed in your life. I would strongly recommend that you take a new page in your journal draw a line down the centre and on the left-hand side list all your accomplishments during the last 12 months. Now on the right-hand side of the line list everything that didn’t go so well. If the stuff on the left outweighs the stuff on the right, you’ve had a great year! If not, then we need to recognise the need for change, and perhaps we can start that now with a plan! Just remember that as Mark Twain remarked: “If you always do what you’ve always done then you’ll always have what you’ve always got”.
2). The rudiments of making a plan is to operate from document and not from thought. Sometimes, there’s so much going on in our brain that it’s difficult to focus on an action plan. It’s so much better to get your thoughts out of your brain and into your journal. Incidentally, it’s now proven that those that plan on paper do better than those that plan on a screen. Before you commit your plan to your journal, I believe that you need to start the process with the end in mind. In other words for you to move forward in your life, you need to have a clear idea of where you would like to be in say the next twelve months. Some of the areas for you to consider would be relationships, financial, health, personal development, attainment and I’m sure as you start this journey you will find other areas to consider. Here’s a word of warning. When I first started on this path many years ago, the biggest distraction was the moving wallpaper that sat in the corner of your living room, your television set. Nowadays, it’s the all-pervasive smartphone. I would encourage you to have a ruthless attitude towards your devices. Use them for communication and research. Avoid them for passing the time, and I would suggest that while you are planning the next twelve months of your life, you turn your telephone off! You can catch up on your messages later.
3). Hopefully, you will have been jotting your ideas, dreams and goals down in your journal as you have been reading this article. The next step is to bring some order to your random thoughts. You now need to decide upon the critical areas that you need to work on and start scoping them out in detail in your journal. For me to discuss with you in the short article, all the areas of your life would be impossible. Therefore, let us discuss matters financial.
4). It’s now time to create a visual action plan. I’ve always done this in a ninety-day cycle and have it on my wall above my workspace. First, create a three-month calendar. Just take three sheets of A4 paper and draw out a month on each of them say January, February and March. Now put in the essential elements — your local opportunity presentations, seminars, trainings etc. Now put all the necessary family stuff. Then all the stuff you have to do for the day job. The white stuff that’s left is the time you can put to use to build your fortune. There is no shame in working full time on your job and part-time on your fortune. Using the white stuff that’s left you would list the activity required to initially get the appointments that will lead to presentations and results.
5). It’s essential to be accountable to yourself, and you can use your journal to accomplish this. At the end of everyday list your activity, appointments made, presentations made, customers gathered, new partners introduced. At the end of the week add it all up. Then you can compare week two to week one, month two to month one, the second quarter to the first quarter. Do this for ninety days, and it will become a habit that will never let you down.
Finally, all of the above requires discipline, and it’s accurate to say that the pain of discipline weighs ounces, but the pain of regret weighs tons.
I hope that I have challenged you with this short article and if you need any further clarification, please do not hesitate to get in touch. It just remains for me to wish you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
Until my next post…………………………Toodleoo!
My Dear Beloved Reader,
It’s been a while since I sat down to write about our adventures in the antipodes but I must confess we’ve been a tad busy. So, this episode is a sort of pictorial memory of an enchanting day in New Zealand where we visited the film set that was created for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in Matamata in the north island. The set is known as Hobbiton and is about two and a half hours drive from Auckland but well worth the journey.
Hobbiton, was originally going to be filmed by Peter Jackson using 17 locations but when Jackson saw this location with a specific tree by a lake (see if you can spot it in the photos below) everthing was brought to Matamata. So, this is where Bag End, the home of Bilbo and Frodo can be found. You should be able to spot in the following photographs. To see a larger image just click on the image you wish to see.
My Dear Beloved Reader,
So, Diana and I arrived here a couple of days ago to a wet and soggy Auckland late in the afternoon at:
and quickly checked in to our hotel:
The Sofitel. The reception staff and concierge were exceptionally good and we found ourselves in a lovely room overlooking the marina and
The Sky Tower. You can just make out The Orbital Restaurant through the clouds! It had been a long couple of days to get here and our body clocks dictated it was time for bed. So, we were glad to be in a very comfortable bed and swiftly into the arms of Orpheus.
Sunday morning was a new day but still very soggy with occassional driving rain due to the remnants of a tropical storm which will be hanging around for sometime. After a hearty breakfast, coffee, bircher muesli, fruit, greek yoghourt, spanish omlette, crispy bacon and sausage our driver John took us off for a two hour drive around Auckland. Unfortunately, the weather was still against us but we enjoyed John’s comentary. We particularly enjoyed Devonport mainly because it had stopped raining and we could see the local scenery.
So, here we have John our driver together with Diana, Paul and David admiring the view of Auckland from Mount Victoria Reserve. Mount Victoria is situated above the charming and very pretty suburb of Devonport and Mount Victoria is one of fifty-three exstinct volcanoes that surround this city. We then returned to our hotel having encountered some flood water in a couple of places.
That afternoon Diana, David and Paul decided to take sanctary in the spa while I decided to set forth and brave the elements to visit The New Zealand National Maritime Museum and I’m glad I did. The museum was packed full of exhibits from ancient, large, sea-going canoes that had travelled thousands of mile to the modern day. However, it was just three exhibits that really caught my eye.
The first was this ancient outrigger canoe of an unusal design. All the timbers were lashed together so it would continually leak and when at sea, the crew would be constantly bailing out water from the hull. The other unusual feature was that when the boat was tacking against the wind the rudder would be transferred from one end of the boat to the other and the sails would be pivoted which would allow the outrigger to always be on the windward side to provide stability. It must have been a tough boat to handle.
The second exhibit that fascinated me was The Rewa.
This boat was built one-hundred and thirty-six years ago by the family that owned her. This was common practise in those days and the family would use “Rewa” to transort produce fron their farm, wool, meat, vegetables etc to the city and would bring home tools, provisions etc.
The final one had of course to be Sir Peter Blake’s yacht NZL 32 “Black Magic” that won the Americas Cup convincingly (five to nil) in 1985 and was the first team to have beaten America in the one-hundred and thirty-five years of the race. New Zealand has continued to be a winner of this ancient sporting event and Sir Peter was a national hero until his murder by pirates off the Amazon delta.
This, of course, was what all the sailing fuss has been about and still is:
The Americas Cup, originally called the One-Hundred Guineas Cup (that was the original cost) until the yacht America won the race. Some call it “The Auld Mug” as its the oldest sporting trophy and some would say pretty ugly!
Later that night we dined at The Soul Restaurant close to the museum and had a superb dinner.
Until my next post……. Toodleoo!
My Dear Beloved Reader,
The title is not exactly true as the very first leg was lugging the luggage that she who must be obeyed has insisted is “absolutely necessary” down the stairs, across the hallway and into our venerated vehicle. It’s been a bitterly cold day with the temperature hovering around 7C and for the benefit of my American friends that’s 46F. I was pleased to leave this:
which happened last night and provided a slightly amusing skating rink this morning. I digress. We had an uneventful but slightly damp journey to London Heathrow Airport and having emptied the luggage onto a variety of carts I entrusted our velocipede into the capable hands of the valet parking team at terminal 4.
Braving the elements we travailed the one hundred feet or so into the terminal and then commenced the half-mile route march to the Etihad First Class check-in area.
Having completed the formalities we were duly ticketed by a very pleasant young lady and duly directed to the Fast Track path, where she who must be obeyed successfully held everyone up:
and we were off to the Etihad Lounge.
This lounge has a somewhat subdued lighting scheme which I suppose is to encourage a restful atmosphere but don’t let the photograph above fool you. A few minutes after it was taken the lounge became quite busy. There is a self-serve buffet bar with an adequate array of food and our waitress was very pleasant. Great coffee!
It wasn’t too long before the appointed hour arrived and we made our way to gate 10 and duly boarded and shown to our seats by lovely Aida who together with her colleagues looked after us in an exceptional manner.
Here’s a short video of our experience boarding the flight to Abu Dhabi;
The First Class cabin was really spacious as you can see from our video
and Diana was very pleased with the extensive menu,
that was prepared, with obvious passion by our in-flight chef “Chi-Chi”.
We were very well looked after by Aida and her colleagues and we soon sat down for a lovely dinner.
To start with we had Meditteranean Mezze which was delicious
and I for one had no worries whatsoever with the calorific content! This was followed by a delicious
loin of lamb. The pudding was so good we scoffed it before we could photograph it. Then we had
our beds made. This was not a seat that recined to a “flat bed” but a proper bed and
we still had our enormous seats.
We’ve now continued our journey and I’m writing this in the Air New Zealnd lounge awaiting our flight to Auckland so, until my next post…….Toodleoo!
I was reminded at a seminar last weekend that when Diana and I started our business together (thirty years ago), our primary communication tool was the fixed wire telephone and having a telephone answering machine was so important. In those days mobile telephony was expensive (75p per minute and billed in whole minutes!). Thus, the aim was to use the telephone to make appointments to get in front of a prospect to present our opportunity.
Today, it seems to me, that most people seem to talk using their thumbs rather than their mouths using a language best described as QWERTYUIOP. This seems to work as appointments are made, but now the face to face meeting appears to be conducted through Skype or Facetime or Zoom. I’ve no challenge with this as the result seems to be similar in that we end up with new members and new partners, but I have a concern.
At last weekends seminar, I was asked why Diana and I had built a National Network Leader Distributorship so quickly within five years and eleven months? That was a great question and deserving of considered thought. It seems to me that the old-fashioned way (analogue) of communicating is faster than these latest (digital) methods of communication. It would appear to me that it’s quicker, easier and simpler to make contact, build rapport and get a result using our analogue methods or am I old-fashioned and prejudiced? I believe that people don’t join companies, they join people, and in my opinion, digital methods of prospecting and presenting are a tad impersonal and difficult to show that you really care about their future.
However, I’m not against them, and I can see a definite case when a contact that you wish to engage with lives at the other end of the country.
I’m not suggesting for one minute that we should all become Luddites and revert to the analogue way of doing things but I am suggesting that a blend of approaches dependent on location might be a better way.
Please feel free to comment and debate in the comment sections below and don’t forget to share my blog with your team and subscribe to it if you have not already done so.
Until my next post…..Toodle-oo!
My Dear Beloved Reader,
This little video says it all as we leave Saint-Jean-De-Luz in the south of France just north of the Spanish border bound for the Toledo in Spain. Indeed from the sea-front of this lovely little town, you can see the Pyrenees that forms the natural border between France and Spain.
Once we got into The Pyrenees the weather really started to deteriorate and at one point it was snowing quite heavily. We certainly didn’t envy the drivers of the convoy below
transporting these giant wind turbine blades.
We arrived at our hotel The Eurostars Palacio Buenavista in Toledo at 18:10 after a pretty gruelling drive and we were glad to have an early dinner and an early night in preparation for our last drive to Marbella the following day.
Until my next post……………Toodleoo!
The Grand Hotel Thalasso in Saint-Jean-de-Luz rolls out the red carpet to welcome Diana Ross!
My Dear Beloved Reader,
Having awoken fairly early at our Rouen Hotel and re-packing a somewhat full Range Rover we sallied forth at 06:37 on a pretty wet morning for a soggy drive to the south of France. Fortunately, the further south we drove the weather improved with each degree of latitude. Our first break occured after 1 hour and fourty-five minutes having covered 98.2 miles, averaging 59mph and achieving 30.6mpg was just outside Alencon where Diana a.k.a. “She Who Must Be Obeyed” insisted that we breakfasted upon cafe au lait and pan au chocolat. Needless to say Stanley was prohibited from such a fine repast and had a delicious tin of puppy food!
After a total stop of 31 minutes we drove for a total of two hours and forty five minutes covering 149.7 miles while achieving 32.6 mpg at an average speed of 57 mph in very wet conditions especially while skirting Le Mans. We broke our journey just a tad north of Poitiers for seventeen minutes for a stretch leg break and to allow Stanley to visit the local lamp post.
Forty five minutes later having covered 49.6 miles at an average speed of 70 mph achieving 35.3 mpg in improving weather but still on the soggy side we stopped for another stretch leg break for a further thirteen minutes.
Now, my dear reader you’re probably wondering why I’m bombarding you with such statistical nonsense? The truth of the matter is that the weather had been so glum that, the only highlights, scenery wise, were various types of gallic roadworks that, occasionally featured workmen who seemed to be committed to smoking untipped Gauloise cigarettes. We departed our stopping place, Aiffres just outside Niort, at 12:53 and settled in for the next 157 miles which took us through Saintes where we entered the Cognac area with lovely rolling pastures and plenty of vineyards. Skirting Bordeaux we continued and entered the arondissement of Aquitane and broke our journey for a late lunch at 15:25 having averaged 63 mph and achieved 33.6 mpg stopping at Saugnac-et-Muret which is on the east side of the Parc Naturel Régionale des Landes de Gascogne. We enjoyed the view while eating a humble french baguette filled with a rather non descript cheese.Twenty-nine minutes later we were back in the car feeling refreshed and releived that the sun was shining we drove for a further fifty-five minutes covering 64.9 miles at an average of 73 mph achieving 34.1 mpg we made our penulitimate stop some 21.5 miles short of our destination in order to give Stanley some exercise before we arrived at our hotel.
We left nineteen minutes later and arrived at The Grand Hotel Thalasso in Saint-Jean-de-Luz where they had rolled out the red carpet in order to welcome Diana Ross and her husband.
We were greeted by the most courteous and helpful staff and were whisked to our suite and having quickly scrubbed up we were ready to enjoy dinner in the Michelin highly rated restaurant L’Ocean.
We were not disappointed having had our already healthy appetites tickled by an aperitif we tucked into our first course of 
deconstructed squid with potato risotto which was absolutely delightful. Then
we enjoyed some sea-bass over a selection of beautifully prepared vegetables and then our our main course of
Veal cooked two ways, crispy sweetbreads and St. Georges Mushrooms followed by
a cheese selection and finally
Valhrona Alpaco dark chocolate, soustons sugared peanuts but when I broke the crust
it was just sublime.
We went to bed tired, happy and stuffed!
Until my next post of this saga…………Toodleoo!
My Dear Beloved Reader,
I thought it was about time to put finger to keyboard and attempt to capture our travels from the UK to Marbella in southern Spain. We departed from our home to attend a board meeting at Network HQ in Edgeware some twenty nine miles from home and after having concluded the meeting we departed for Folkestone in Kent in our trusty, somewhat full Range Rover Vogue SE Auto.
It was a damp and drizzly day and more weather was to come later!
After one hundred and one miles we were on the train and had started our journey through the Eurotunnel.
We landed on the Continent and began our journey of one hundred and thirty-three miles to Rouen. The weather deteriorated quickly and we had an unpleasant drive in driving rain and gale force winds.
We eventually found our hotel which was not too easy as the Mercure Rouen Centre Cathedrale Hotel and its garage are situated in a pedestrianised area of this pretty cathedral town. Fortunately, the local police with their inimitable gallic charm escorted our car (blue lights flashing – see the video below) to the hotel. After a pretty difficult drive we were pleased to flop into bed and start our journey to Saint Jean du Luz the following morning.
Here’s three minutes and thirty-nine seconds of video highlights from Day 1.
Until our next episode of this gripping story…..Toodleloo!
I do not write “political” posts. Politics in my opinion is a private issue.
Many years ago I decided to take responsibility for my own future and I decided to build a financial wall around myself and my family. I decided to build it tall and thick so, it would become an impenetrable barrier to outside forces that were beyond my control.
To be blunt and rude I’m sick and tired of reading posts about stuff that the authors have no real control over. Votes have been cast. Decisions have been made.
Now is the time to put all of that behind all of us and start working to build your own and your families future.
Now is the time to take responsibility for your own life.
Now is the time to go to work and build your own future without blame or praise.
Now is the time for high intensity in your personal endeavour.
Today is the day we leave our vacation home in Lakewood Ranch near Sarasota in SW Florida. It’s a huge mix of emotions. Sad to leave the wonderful friends to numerous to mention who are a wonderful crowd of people who Diana and I will always hold close in our hearts yet, excited to finally settle in to our new home in Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire in the UK. Although we are leaving now we will be back for vacations in the future but also looking forward to exploring new places, making new friends and capturing new experiences. So, yes it’s sad to close this brilliant chapter in our lives but excited to start a new one. To all our pals, wherever you are, stay in touch. You will always be with us.
With much love,
Clive & Diana.
Dear Beloved Reader,
To view any of the photographs below in their full majesty please just click on the image of your choice. As ever, dear reader, please feel free to leave your comments below.
Having relieved our bank account earlier today of over $2000 for a set of new tyres for my beloved Corvette I decided upon a late afternoon stroll on a very quiet Siesta Key Beach.
During my stroll it was a surprise to observe, what I could only deduce, as a learned discussion on the meaning of that most useful of plastic storage boxes known as Tupperware!
Meanwhile this close-by acrobat delighted her audience with a mid-air somersault which was executed perfectly and may have had nothing to do with the aforesaid storage containers.
It was no surprise, as the beach was so quiet,
that the life guards (both red and yellow) had decided to call it a day. Although this may have been a ploy to avoid hosting a future home presentation, of that well known brand of lid snapping plastic, even though the soft hiss escaping from the storage box could be likened to the sound of the swish of surf caressing the sand on a quiet day.
This beautiful beach was now becoming empty leaving just the few
to stand and stare where others
debated the meaning of life and the endless possibilities of Tupperware.
So, we say farewell to the mingling Mennonites, the tumbler and the potential Tupperware hosts and hostesses.
Until my next post……Toodleoo!
This morning we awoke to a thunder-storm, a tornado warning and a “small boat advisory” which means of you go out in a boat you’re completely certifiable! By lunchtime the skies had started to clear and I decided to have my afternoon stroll on Lido Key near Sarasota. It was so windy that the lifeguard was flying the forbidden swimming flags. The beach was almost deserted apart from one or two brave souls braving the elements in search of some exercise when to my amazement I came across a posse of surfing dudes. I’m not sure if “posse” is the correct collective noun for the surfing enthusiasts that I encountered but there they were, battling the waves with consummate skill. Having marvelled at their artistry in the surf it was time for me to turn homeward bound and then I came across a gaggle of lady Amish surfing spectators. I hope you enjoy the gallery below. Just click on any photograph you desire to see a full screen rendition. Enjoy!
Until my next post …..Toodleoo!
I’ve not posted anything on this site for ages and as you know, dear reader, I normally write about business stuff but to see that sort of content, you now need to head over to theteamworksnews.com
I thought it would be good to share some photos (click on them to view full screen) that I’ve taken today while out for my afternoon walk. This is just some stuff and just for fun.
This Osprey was hunting and to watch the speed of the dive and capture was breathtaking.
Later on while on my way home I spotted this yacht that must have broken away from its mooring during one of the recent winter storms. A reminder of the power that mother nature has and should never be underestimated.
Strange to think that the winds that uprooted the yacht left these nuts attached to the tree above its new resting place!
My final pic of the day was this of the Ringling Bridge made possible by the vision of John and Mabel Ringling. This edifying structure connects Sarasota (seen in the distance) to St. Armands Circle but I will leave that story for another day!
Until my next post…….Toodleoo!
No, I’m not schizophrenic!
My dear beloved reader you have put up with my ramblings over the years with great fortitude. Coping with an ever eclectic amount of subject matter from travel, to business, to stuff! So, I’ve reached a decision and have decided that this blog, going forward, will be fun stuff aimed at whatever I fancy writing about be it travel, photography and stuff that amuses me. From now on all my business writings will be on The Team Works News (www.theteamworksnews.com). There is already a stack of content on that site and a lot more will follow so please pop along to http://www.theteamworksnews.com and click on the subscribe button to stay bang uptodate with our content and articles by guest contributors such as Jordan Adler, Richard Bliss Brook, Brian Carruthers, Curtis Broome, Lisa Faeder Grossman, Eric and Marina Worre to name just a few!
This site http://www.cliveleach.me over the next few weeks will have a little facelift so, I hope you will stay my loyal and beloved reader.
Until my next post Toodleoo!
This one skill/discipline has been of paramount importance to our success. I’m sure that if you adopt this and make it part of you, then you will not regret it for one single second! Don’t forget to leave your comments, questions and feedback in the comments section below.
These simple disciplines have made a massive difference to our income, our business and our lifestyle!
Feel free to ask questions, leave comments and give feedback below in the comments section and I’m sure that you will find this short video to be incredibly valuable.
Clive Leach's Blog 